Through her peripheral vision, Apollonia could see Draco watching her. He’d deny it later when she confronted him in front of his friends, but she knew he kept an eye on her. After what he learned, why wouldn’t he? She just told his enemy her biggest secret; Severus Snape was her father. And, as upset as she knew him to be with what she did, it was necessary with the way he was acting. Draco was distant these day; from everyone, not just her. He seemed overworked, pushed the brink of his sanity. It seemed the best idea to tell Harry. And, it helped a little, just not in the way that Apollonia hoped for. That invisibility cloak has to work. Not only will I be able to follow Draco and find out why he’s been so distant, but I can do the same with my father. Thanks, Harry for giving me the chance to figure out what’s been going on with Draco, and for helping me protect my father.

Being in opposing houses, Harry would never know how grateful she was for what he did. Whereas most Gryffindors—Harry’s best friend included—never would have given her—a Slytherin—the chance to explain what was going on, he did. With having lost both of his parents, Harry understood why protecting her father was so important to her, why she despised the promotion he received at start of term. It was something only he could really understand; something not even Draco could fully comprehend. True, her father was his favorite professor; however, this was something Draco Malfoy would never truly understand; no matter how hard he tried, the meaning would always be lost on him. As much as he would want to help her, if he weren’t so distracted, he really couldn’t.

Can I really be sure that all of this is going to work though? Apollonia wondered. There are so many variables that even I can’t be sure that I can fix all that is wrong with my life. Nothing ever seemed to go the way they were supposed to, not since first entering Hogwarts. With Harry in school, millions of strange things started occurring; it was definitely nothing like Apollonia ever would have imagined. Not that she really blamed Harry; it was never something Harry wanted. Trouble just seemed to follow the boy, and Apollonia felt sorry for him—not that she would ever freely admit that since the people she was closest to all hated him. And, if anyone ever discovered that she asked Harry for help in some of her more challenging tasks, there was no telling as to what might happen in the coming months.

Following Transfiguration, Apollonia gave a brief nod to Draco before gathering her things and promptly darting out of the room. She knew Draco had a free period—as did she—and it was the perfect time to enact her plan. The longer she waited, the more time Draco would have to complete his task. Apollonia needed to find out what was going on, what he felt the need to conceal from her despite their friendship. They were always close. Why was this so different? What did Draco have to hide from his best friend?

Removing Harry’s invisibility cloak from her bag, Apollonia wrapped it around herself and waited for Draco to come. When she spotted her blond best friend, she quickly followed after him. As she followed him, Apollonia took note of the fact that no one seemed to notice his actions. No one really seemed to care that Draco Malfoy was doing things he shouldn’t. It seemed as if only she and Harry cared, both for their own personal reasons. Harry wanted to know what he was doing while Apollonia was under orders to watch over him.

As she was deep in thought, Apollonia had no indication as to where she was headed; she was blindly following Draco. So, when she came to an empty corridor—one she knew he came down—Apollonia knew where Draco was. “The Room of Requirement,” she said quietly. Since the door was no longer there, Apollonia passed it three times muttering, “Bring me to where Draco is.” The door reappeared allowing Apollonia to quietly slip in and watch to see what her best friend was doing for the next hour.

She carefully slid into the Room of Requirement and stood in the corner of the room, silently watching her best friend. Draco stood in the center of the room, in front of a large cabinet. From the angle she stood at, Apollonia could see that Draco was attempting to fix the cabinet in question. Draco, what are you doing? Apollonia wondered as she intently watched him work furiously at the cabinet. She suppressed a groan, knowing that her location would be found if she did, and continued watching her friend. Something very odd was going on here and Apollonia needed to know what, for Draco’s sake.

Harry is not going to like this, Apollonia muttered quietly to herself. His suspicions may turn out to be accurate. And, if they are, what does Voldemort want with a sixteen year-old Death Eater? She sank to the floor, the invisibility cloak still covering her. If Harry’s assumption was accurate, then it could already be too late; she might never be able to save Draco from himself. Things could only go wrong if Draco Malfoy truly was a Death Eater. Don’t be a Death Eater, Draco. Please prove my suspicions—and Harry’s—false. Despite her pleas, Apollonia knew what was going on. And, she couldn’t stop it, even if she tried.

It was the longest hour of Apollonia’s life that she watched Draco furiously work away at the cabinet. She could not understand how any of this was necessary; he was sixteen and there was nothing more important than his schoolwork. When the hour came to an end, Apollonia followed Draco out and watched as her best friend went to the Great Hall. She then removed the invisibility cloak and stuffed it into her bag. “What are you doing, Draco?”